About Heyburn WMA:
(From ODW's Website on Heyburn WMA:)
The Heyburn WMA is a 5,865 acre tract of US Army COE land surrounding Heyburn Lake. It has numerous post oak-blackjack ridges and old abandoned agricultural fields. It is located south of Hwy. 33, east of Hwy. 48, and north of Hwy. 66, in central Creek County.
Oaks, elms and sycamores dominate the woodland canopy, with native grass meadows in woodland openings. Due to its varied soils and vegetation types, the area supports a diversity of native and migratory wildlife. Heyburn Lake is a small COE flood control and water supply reservoir that is now very shallow in its upper reaches and no longer navigable by large boats. The average annual precipitation is 42 inches.
Brown's Creek / 33 Area:
This area is along Brown's Creek, which feeds into the northern fork of Lake Heyburn. The trails in this area are less defined and thick patches of post oaks can make travel difficult. The soil tends to be rocky and large outcroppings of rocks are common, making for an interesting landscape. Brown's Creek and it's tributary have small occurances of waterfalls and pools, due to the rocky outcroppings.
March 31st Excursion
I arrived at Heyburn WMA at 1:00 pm and could hear a pair of Carolina Chickadees in the trees adjacent to the parking area. Heyburn in dominated by oaks, which makes for a loud walk since the fallen leaves are so numerous and crisp.
I first followed one fork of the path to a small waterfall along Brown's Creek. The waterfall is small, but offers for some great long-exposure photos. While sitting along the creek's edge I saw a pair of dark birds dart about together along the bank. They both came to perch in a tree overhead, a pair of Eastern Phoebes, each bobbing their tails and calling(though I couldn't hear it over the roar of the waterfall).
Following Brown's Creek, I reached a small overlook, below which a small tributary meets the creek. On previous excursions I have seen small groups of ducks congregating around the bend in the creek. I was able to catch a glimpse of a Red-shouldered Hawk (the hawk's cry was the identifier used) flying just above the canopy. I also spotted two Turkey Vultures drifting lazily overhead.
I followed the beaten path to a small hollow along a tributary of Brown's Creek. I was able to setup my scope along the top of the hollow and watch the birds below. 6 Tufted Titmice were observed hopping about among the branches of the trees along the water's edge. A pair of Carolina Wrens moved through the undergrowth, one finding a perch and singing for several minutes. I used a downed tree to cross the small tributary, then followed the path along the bank.
I heard a familiar ascending call, and spotted a male Black and White Warbler foraging on a downed tree nearby. I recently read the following on Cornell's Bird Guide:
"The Black-and-white Warbler has an unusually long hind toe and claw on each foot. This adaptation allows it to move securely on the surface of tree bark."
Keeping this in mind, I watched the BWW move about on several different trees, it's behavior similar to a woodpecker or nuthatch. The BWW is certainly strange for a warbler, both in behavior (upside down foraging) and plumage (black and white, no yellow or blue as other warblers).
I heard an unfamiliar call, then saw a small brown bird fly from a tree to a twig along the water's edge. The small bird dipped it's tail and called repeatedly(the song was unfamiliar to me) , the main identifier visible was a white stripe on the brow. Initially, I thought that the bird in question was a Red-eyed Vireo because of the brow stripe, yet the streaking on the breast reminded me of a thrush. After peering through the scope and consulting my field guide I determined the bird to be a Louisiana Waterthrush, a new edition to the lifelist.
As I made my way back to my car I heard a flurry of activity coming from the trees closer to the highway. A Northern Flicker burst into flight as I turned a corner of the trail. I noticed a small bird hoping about in some low-lying branches, it's behavior suggesting a nuthatch. As I looked closer I determined the suspect to be a Brown Creeper, a species I have heard referred to as "living bark" due to it's brown, cryptic camouflage. The Brown Creeper is one of my favorite local nuthatch varieties, so it was a nice way to end the excursion.
New Addition to SPQ's Lifelist:
145) Louisiana Waterthrush
Bird Count:
Location: Heyburn WMA - ("Hilltop") - Kellyville, OK
Observation date: 3/31/09 Number of species: 11
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus 1
Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 1
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 2
Carolina Chickadee - Poecile carolinensis 4
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 6
Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 1
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 2
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 1
Louisiana Waterthrush - Seiurus motacilla 1
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 1
Photos:
Top: A small waterfall of a tributary of Brown's Creek
Bottom: The larger set of falls on Brown's Creek, close to Highway 33
- SPQ 4/1/2009
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